Under Pressure
by starcourt
Summary: [Omegaverse AU] For four years, Ladybug has managed to keep both her identity and her presentation out of the public eye for the sake of her safety as both her alter-ego and in her everyday life. But one mistake during a mission leads to unwanted attention from all directions... Including from the one person she hoped never to fall in this situation with. Or rather, two people.
1. Chapter 1

**Y'know, I've noticed a lack of omegaverse fanfictions for this fandom (or I haven't been looking hard enough and, to be honest, I wasn't really purposely looking for** _ **that**_ **but *shrugs*). So I figured what better way to introduce myself to the community and make a first impression with my first story being in the omegaverse?**

 ***high-fives self* Great idea, me.**

 **And this is also an aged-up AU. Adrien will be 18, Marinette will be 17. Because writing a story like this about 14 year olds is *shivers* eugh.**

 **So that's enough blathering from me. Let's get this show on the road.**

* * *

"Chat, watch out!"

Ladybug swung her yo-yo at the black cat's ankle and it quickly wound itself around. She gave a harsh yank which sent Chat Noir flailing backwards just as something went sailing through where his head used to be. Feeling her yo-yo unravel from his ankle Chat quickly somersaulted backwards to land on his feet by her side again. "Thank you, m'lady."

"Don't thank me yet-" Ladybug began, suddenly grabbing Chat's wrist and yanking him down to duck under another projectile. She grunted in frustration and looked up at their attacker, whom was standing quite a ways away from the duo.

"You two talk too much to be in a library." the villain sneered. He was known as the Stickler. As in 'stickler for the rules'. He was armed with a pad and pen and would scribble out rules on the paper before sending them flying towards either one of the heroes, the paper turning into whatever was needed to keep them from breaking whatever rule was writting down in mid air as it went. "I think you ned to _quiet down_." He scribbled out the words **'NO TALKING'** down onto his notepad and hastily tore the paper from his book to send it at them. Halfway between him and the heroes it turned into a large strap of tape to aim for their mouths. Chat extended his baton and swung it at the tape, thinking he would send it towards the wall instead. However, it stuck to his baton and started crawling up towards his hand with intentions of covering his mouth. He yelped and started to try and shake it off.

"Here, let me." Ladybug used her yo-yo to lock around the baton and threw it towards the wall, thus successfully smacking the tape against it and rendering it useless. She retracted her yo-yo and handed the stick back to her partner. "The akuma must be in his notepad."

"Right, so how do we get it away from him?" Chat asked. He kept his baton at the ready in case he needed to knock anything else away.

"No toys in the library either!" Stickler yelled, hastily writing that command on his notepad and sending it off.

The note turned into a small toy chest with a lock on it, the top open wide as it crashed to the floor and a strong rush of suction started to come from it. The yo-yo and the baton started pulling from their wielders' hands, drawn to the box but still clutched desperately so. Their feet slid against the floor as they grunted in effort.

"Any ideas yet?!" Chat called over the pulling air, his claws scratching against his baton.

Ladybug's jaw set determinedly, her eyes narrowing. She had no other choice. She pulled hard on her yo-yo and sent it up into the air.

"Lucky charm!"

From the air and into her waiting hand came a toy sticky hand. She raised an eyebrow and looked to Chat.

"Serious case of sticky fingers?" He asked with a shrug.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and started peering around the room with focused vision, looking for anything that stood out to her. The hand, the toy box, the book shelf, Chat himself, and the akumatized book. Ladybug smiled.

"Got it." Ladybug looked to Chat. "Chat, let the box move you closer! Use your cataclysm!"

"On it!" Chat Noir grinned and loosened his stance for the suction to force him faster to it, at the same time raising his free hand. "Cataclysm!" And his power summoned around his paw.

Hawkmoth's glowing symbol appeared before Stickler's eyes. "No, don't let him touch it! Get their miraculouses!"

Stickler growled and took a readying stance, about to surge forward but it was too late. Chat's hand landed on the toy chest mere seconds before his baton could disappear into it and it crumpled into nothing. Stickler howled in anger as the duo regained their footing and smirk triumphantly. Chat looked back at Ladybug for the next move and she nodded subtly to the bookcase just a few feet away then glanced to their opponent. Chat Noir trailed her gaze and gave a nod that he understood.

Chat leapt forward and bounced off the side of the bookshelf, entering a pouncing position as he rebounded towards Stickler. His attention was immediately drawn to the leather-esque clad hero and his grip tightened on his pen.

"No catapulting off the furniture!" he commanded. He rushed his scrawl across the pad - **'NO LEAPING'** \- and practically threw it at Chat with the piece of paper turning into chains last second.

Chat gasped and thrust his baton in front of him to throw the chains off course before crashing head first into Stickler, thus forcing him to drop the notepad in the process. Ladybug grinned and swung the sticky hand at the pad before snapping it back after it successfully clasped onto it. She caught the pad with ease and broke it in half over her knee. The butterfly slipped out from the torn pages and started to fly away.

"No more evil-doing for you, evil akuma!" Ladybug said, preparing her yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize!" She sent her yo-yo at the big and it split open to catch it before returning to her hand. "Gotcha!"

Ladybug pressed the center spot and released the now cleansed butterfly with a smile, watching it as it went. "Bye bye, little butterfly." She says. Smiling to herself, she tossed the sticky hand into the air with a victorious, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The swarms of ladybugs freed themselves to return the affected parts of Paris to normal as they usually did, saving the villain for last and returning him to his normal self still dressed in his hall monitor attire. He picked his head up and placed his hand in his hair with a look of confusion.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat said in unison and shared a fist bump.

"So, m'Ladybug," Chat said. He nodded to the exit of the library but gestures to the window. "Whaddya say we hit the town for a bit, hm? Maybe see the sights?"

Ladybug laughed softly with a slight shake of her head. She was more than used to Chat Noir's flirting after having to put up with it for almost four years now since they started on this superhero escapade. As endearing as it was, she knew that he knew it could never happen. Not now. Her mouth opened to speak a playfully denying retort as she always did, but the beeping of both their miraculouses did all the speaking for her.

"As lovely as that sounds, kitty cat, I've got other places to be." She reached forward and flicked his bell. She walked past him towards the windows, feeling his gaze follow her the whole time, and stepped onto the ledge to push a window open.

"I'll get a yes out of you one of these days." Chat swore with a grin.

Ladybug gave him a look over the shoulder and grinned, winking at him. "Good _luck_ with that." She faced the outside world and sent out her yo-yo.

Chat gasped and placed his hand over his heart. "Ladybug, did you just make a _pun_?" He asked.

Instead of answering, Ladybug laughed. And in the blink of an eye she was gone.

Chat Noir stood there watching the spot she'd just been mere seconds ago with a lovestruck expression; something else that had never changed over the years. He sighed with a light chuckle at her pun and he, too, made his way to the window.

* * *

Marinette landed on the rooftop of her home and crouched down to open the hatch, slipping inside as silently as possible and landing on the bed with a soft grunt. She sighed and sat down. "Tikki, spots off." she murmured.

Her Ladybug alter-ego fell from her body and her kwami reformed before her with a bit of a tired smile. "Great work today, Marinette." Tikki praised, which made her holder smile shyly.

"Thanks, Tikki. I'm just glad we took care of him when we did, otherwise there's no way I would've had enough time to finish my homework." Marinette said with s shake of her head. She leaned forward and picked up a sealed container of cookies from her nightstand. Opening it, she took one out and offered it to Tikki whom immediately took it happily and started nomming on it. "That's the second akuma this week already." she said, resealing the container and returning it back to its spot.

"That's the life of Ladybug. A hero's work is never done." Tikki said.

"Yes, but how many villains has Chloe caused on her own in the past four years?" Even thinking of the blonde daddy's girl nearly made Marinette's blood boil. "And this one was just because she was using her phone in the middle of an assembly and gave the hall monitor serious attitude." She sighed and hung her head. "I was hoping during our senior year she would be better but she's only gotten worse."

"You can't always expect people to change, Marinette. Some are beyond that reach." Tikki said.

Marinette sighed and gave her kwami a light smile. "You're right, Tikki..." She said. "Still, it would be nice if she wasn't the cause for so many akuma attacks. Sometimes it makes me wonder who the real villain is. Hawkmoth for making them, or Chloe for always giving him the ammunition he needs."

It had also occurred to Marinette that Chloe could've been doing this just to be a little spiteful due to the fact that she wasn't allowed to hold on to her miraculous twenty four seven. Carapace - Nino - had accidentally let it slip last year that he and Rena Rouge were eventually granted permission to keep their miraculouses with them when Hawkmoth started to grow more and more dangerous and less restrained with his attempts. Marinette tried to explain to her as Ladybug that because she went and blew her cover sky high upon first receiving Pollen, it was too high risk to leave her in Chloe's possession. God forbid Hawkmoth try to just waltz right into her home and steal the bee miraculous away or attack her directly.

Then again, Chloe could've also just been being her typical bitchy self.

Marinette hummed and slid off her bed, making her way to her desk. She sat down in the chair and bent over to grab her backpack to take out her text book and notebook with a pencil. Tikki floated over and settled on the desk to watch her as she set up to do her homework. Just as she flipped open to the textbook page, a jingling sound came from her computer and the screen came to life with the display of her lock screen. Which was an image from Adrien's recent photoshoot at the Eiffel Tower overlooking Paris. Marinette knew what the sound was for as she'd set it purposely for that and a small weight of dread settled in her stomach. Her features fell as she reluctantly pressed the space bar on her keyboard and typed in her password.

The screen changed to her browser, a few tabs left open to research sites and YouView where she was watching the new music video from Clara Nightingale the other night. However, none of those were what the notification was for. Marinette opened a new tab and typed in her site destination, but hesitated to click 'go'.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" Tikki asked. She lifted from the desk and moved closer to her wielder.

"I'm fine, I'm just..." The girl heaved a sigh and lowered her head. "I'm afraid of what I'm going to see on there, you know?"

"But why? I thought you liked checking out the website?"

"I do. But lately it's gotten way more personal than before, and... It's scary when I think about it."

Marinette clicked 'go', thus refreshing her tab to the homepage of the very LadyBlog itself. Marinette gulped subtly as her eyes scanned the page for the latest update from her best friend that she'd been notified about. She scrolled up to the **'RECENT'** section. There were _two_ new updates. Another video with Alya capturing the fight just as it started in the school's common area and somewhat narrating the whole thing which made Marinette smile a little.

 _"Did you guys see that?"_ Alya said excitedly, aiming the camera to Chat Noir. He'd managed to knock Stickler into the stairs. Ladybug jumped down from the second story and Alya squealed just before Marinette paused the video. She scrolled up again and the dread that had first developed in her gut strengthened.

 ** _'WHAT IS LADYBUG'S PRESENTATION?'_**

Marinette groaned and put her head in her hands, her face flush with embarrassment and annoyance. This is what she'd feared. Tikki came down and pat Marinette's head gently. "Is this what scared you?"

Marinette made a sound of confirmation and nodded her head weakly before picking herself back up to look at the screen in dismay. "I love Alya, but I wish she could see how invasive this is of my- I mean, _Ladybug's_ privacy. Not to mention how much danger it could put her in. And me if she knew."

"You know how Alya is, Marinette." Tikki said. "She likes giving the people what they want and they want to know about Ladybug."

"Yeah, I _know_ that." Marinette groaned and leaned into the chair, putting her head back and turning away from the desk. "But it's super dangerous for that information to get into the wrong hands, especially during a fight. Imagine if Hawkmoth tried to use it against me with his next villain? Not to mention I don't need to be distracted by guys trying to court me left and right."

"Maybe she thinks Ladybug can handle herself because she's a superhero." Tikki suggested and shrugged with her hands raised.

Marinette huffed a breath through her nose and looked to the screen again. "That's just it, Tikki. Ladybug may be a superhero, but she's also _human_. Plus, I don't see anyone asking what Chat _Noir's_ presentation is." Not that she wanted her partner in that kind of danger either, but maybe she'd feel better about it if it was directed to both of them rather than just her.

"That's because Ladybug is desirable, Marinette." her kwami explained.

Marinette cringed at the word 'desirable', but her heart also sank. _Ladybug_ was desirable. Marinette was just Marinette. No one cared really about what her presentation was, not even the one person she sort of wanted to care. It didn't matter either way, though, because she needed to keep herself just as safe as she did when she was Ladybug. Marinette sighed and grabbed the mouse, moving the cursor to the top of the screen and closing the page without a second thought.

"Let's just forget about it, Tikki." she said quietly, looking to the kwami who gave her a nod. "I've still got homework to do anyway."

* * *

 _"Ladybug's totally an alpha. Look how she always takes control in battle. Natural alpha."_

 _"What are you talking about? Chick's totally an omega. Girls like that_ always _end up being the opposite of their personalities."_

 _"Man if she's an omega I'd show her a real alpha"_

 _"Gross man. I bet Chat Noir's already got dibs anyway if she's omega."_

 _"Like hell he does. Ladybug wouldn't be with a guy like Chat Noir."_

 _"Did you all ever consider maybe she's a beta?"_

Adrien grit his teeth as he continued to scroll through the comments that had accumulated over the past few hours on Alya's theory on her blog. The more he read them, the more aggravated he got. His eyes may have been green, but he was seeing slightly red. He'd been reading comments like this for the past few years, unable to help his curiosity.

"Why do you keep reading those comments?" Plagg asked, zipping up beside Adrien with a piece of camembert between his paws. "They just make you upset anyway."

Adrien's nose scrunched up from the smell of the cheese and he turned his head away from it a bit. "I can't help it, Plagg. The way they talk about Ladybug pisses me off."

"But you keep reading them. They don't even ask about you, you know."

The blond rolled his eyes and sighed. While he'd noticed a lack of concern for what he was, he didn't really care. He only had eyes for Ladybug. And while he was also curious about her presentation, he also respected her privacy and somewhat guessed that with that kind of information floating around she could end up in serious danger. That was the last thing he wanted. He hardly expected her to tell him anyway, because she didn't even want to share her identity.

"I wish I could tell Alya to stop posting things like that on her blog." He said.

"Why not let Ladybug handle it herself?" Plagg spoke through a mouthful of his cheese, which made a smile almost appear on Adrien's face.

"Because she's too nice for that, and she knows how much Alya's blog means to her." he said. He shook his head. "She respects her right to post what she wants on it."

Plagg made a face but shrugged and polished off the rest of his camembert, patting his stomach with satisfaction. Adrien chuckled and got up from his computer to grab his school bag from his bed. He'd stalled long enough in starting his homework and really needed to get on it. Unzipping his bag, he reached in and started rifling through it to find the worksheet for his first class tomorrow. Once he found it he took it out and splayed it on his bed while he searched for a pencil next. Beside his bag, his phone started to vibrate and lightly nudge around the comforter from the movement. Adrien raised an eyebrow and reached for his phone just as the screen lit up to show that the person contacting him was Nino. Adrien grinned and pressed the green button.

"Hey, dude!" Nino said before Adrien could speak. "What are you doing right now?"

"Uh, I was just about to start my homework. Why?" Adrien said. He picked up his mechanical pencil and opened it to check for lead.

"Nathan invited me to go hang out with him and said you could come along." Nino said. "You down?"

Adrien's lip pulled back slightly with thought. He glanced between his pencil and the worksheet. "I don't know. Where are you guys planning on going?"

"We don't know yet, we're gonna decide when we meet up. Are you coming or not?"

Adrien smiled to himself and shrugged casually. Maybe homework could wait for a couple more hours. "Sure, I'm in. Meet you guys at the theater in fifteen."

"Sweet!" Nino said, and Adrien could practically see the fist pump his friend more than likely did. "See you soon."

* * *

 **Yeah, yeah, slow first chapter I know. But no way am I gonna rush right into the action! Gotta wait for that ;)**

 **Anyway, don't forget to follow, favorite, and or review if that's what you're into! It's always very much appreciated! And I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, my writing may be a little off in this chapter since the flow was interrupted for months (stopped writing around the part where Nino and Adrien are talking) but hopefully I'll get my groove back. Good to be back, though :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: Never in the show is it actually mentioned that Marinette is allergic to kiwi (or anything, that I can recall), it was just a random thought that popped up and ended up in the story.**

 **Also, lots of line breaks/skips in this chapter.**

* * *

"Mm..." Marinette uttered groggily. Her alarm blared by her ear from her nightstand, making her features contort to mild irritation. She turned over onto her side and reached her hand over to blindly seek out the clock. "Nh, shut up..." She grumbled just as her finger pressed the button. She let out a yawn and returned to her position on her back, lifting her hands to rub at her eyes with a sigh.

"Good morning, Marinette." Tikki said. She zipped over from where she'd been resting from, already appearing upbeat and ready to start the day.

"Morning, Tikki." Marinette replied. She dropped her hands and looked to the kwami with a small smile. She made a soft noise of effort as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, turning her body so her feet touch the floor.

She stood up and stretched her arms upward, yawning again before making her way over to her dressers to pick out and outfit to wear. She had about an hour and a half before she was due to be at school. Plenty of time for a shower and breakfast. She picked out her usual outfit and laid it aside, grabbed her toiletries, and made her way from her room to the bathroom. Tikki stayed behind of course out of respect for her holder's privacy.

As Marinette shut the bathroom door behind her she sighed slowly and gently, leaning against the door for a second. A simple thought of seeing Adrien in a matter of time surfaced in her mind and brought a smile to her face. While the years may have come and gone, her feelings for him never wavered. The only thing that changed was her demeanor around him. Yes, she would still get a little flustered and stutter on occasion, but she was faring much better in holding a conversation and inviting him to hang out with her. If only she could put into words how her heart lifted whenever she was around him.

With a slightly dreamy sigh, Marinette pushed herself off the door and set her clothes on the counter of the sink. Stepping up to the shower she started up the water and adjusted the temperature to a decent setting. She turned back to the sink and started to go through her toiletries to make sure she had everything, such as soap, deodorant, et cetera. She took them out and set them to the side. She was about ready to return her attention to the shower when her eyes fell on something in the bottom of her toiletry basket. Her heart skipped instantly at the sight. She reached in and tentatively wrapped her fingers around the white labeled bottle, as it she were afraid to even think about touching it. It was her prescription of heat suppressants. Recalling the marked calendar beside her computer, she would have to take another one in barely a week.

 _Has it really already been a month since I last took them?_

The thought made her a little anxious to say the least. As much as she hated to take them, they were a necessity. At least in her line of superhero work. A small knot tied itself in her gut. Sometimes she couldn't help but think how different things would be if she weren't Ladybug. Would she still be taking the suppressants? Would she avoid them in hopes that her scent would entice Adrien? Or anyone for that matter? She remembered the look her mother gave her when she first asked about getting heat suppressants. There was no judgement, just worry. Because 'those suppressants can be damaging to your health', as her mother put it. But Marinette had no choice but to take the risk. Unless she wanted to risk her _life_. Did Chat Noir ever deal with the same things as she did? He must've, because she never noticed any sort of smell on him that would hint to what his presentation was.

 _Not that I care about what Chat Noir is or anything..._ She paused. _Wow, that sounds vaguely familiar._

Marinette shrugged her thoughts off and hastily dropped the bottle back into her basket before she could give herself a chance to dwell on such troubles any longer than necessary. She still had two days left before she needed to worry about it. Pushing the basket aside, she moved on to undressing and getting in the shower.

* * *

"So what's the plan for today, Marinette?" Tikki asked, watching as the heroine started packing up her school bag.

Marinette smiled a bit as she arranged a few of her books to make space. "Alya invited me over to her house tonight for a movie marathon. She said she'd ask Nino and Adrien if they want to come to, but she hasn't texted me about their answers yet."

"Sounds like fun!" Tikki said eagerly, which made Marinette laugh.

"Hopefully." She breathed out slowly. "I know I've gotten better at talking to Adrien, but my heart still races when I'm around him... And I still feel those invisible trembles in my body when I look at him." She drops her head slightly. "Spending a long evening with him... I don't know what to expect."

"Everything will be just fine. You'll have Alya there with you." Tikki said.

"That's if she's not all over Nino. I won't be surprised if Adrien and I pay more attention to the movies than those two." Marinette said, her voice a little flat. Not that she was hoping to make out with Adrien or anything, though it would be nice, but maybe not in the company of her friends. She makes a small sound of dismission and zips up her backpack just as she heard her mother calling for her from downstairs. "Yeah, mom!"

Hearing the footsteps of her mother coming up the stairs to her room, Marinette hurriedly shooed Tikki to hide in her purse just before the hatch came open to reveal Sabine's smiling face.

"Alya's here to walk with you to school, are you ready yet?" she asked.

"Ah, sh-she is?" Marinette raised an eyebrow. Alya hadn't said anything about coming to her home this morning. Was something the matter? "Um- Tell her I'll be down in a minute."

Sabine nodded and disappeared back downstairs, leaving Marinette to finish packing her things. Tikki slipped out from her hiding place in her bag to hover before her. "Ready to start the day?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Marinette smiled at her kwami, who returned it before returning to the purse at her hip. She snapped it closed and grabbed her bag, making her way to the hatch and exiting her room.

She'd hardly made it into the door before she heard Alya's laughter coming from the bakery and the small smile on her face grew. She opened the door to the bakery to see her mom, dad, and Alya standing in front of the counter and talking cheerfully. All their heads turned to Marinette's direction when they heard the door open and Alya immediately brightened up with a grin.

"Hey, girl!" she greeted. "Ready to go?"

"Mhm." Marinette nodded. She made her way towards them, her eyebrows raised a little. "Is there a special occasion or something?"

"What? No," Alya waved her hand and threw her arm around Marinette's shoulders. "Can't a girl just want to walk with her best friend to school?"

"I...guess..?" The secret heroine muttered. She shrugged it off. "We should probably head out, then." She looked to her parents with a smile, inching away from Alya for a moment to hug and kiss them both. "I'll be back around dinnertime."

"Alright, sweetheart." Tom patted her shoulder with a grin.

"Have a good day." Sabine said.

Marinette nodded to both of them and turned to Alya when she felt her arm hook into hers. "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!" She waved over her shoulder as she led her best friend out of the building. Once the door was closed, Marinette gave Alya a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, Alya, spill." she said. "What the _real_ reason you came to get me today?"

Alya grinned and reached into her pocket for her phone, pulling it back out and practically shoving it in Marinette's face. Marinette leaned back and blinked in confusion, focusing her gaze on the screen before her. "Guess who said yes to movies tonight!" Alya cheered a bit and shook her phone.

Marinette's eyes caught sight of Nino's name at the top of the screen and lowered down to read the texts with both eyebrows now raised. She read the most recent text from the day before.

 ** _Nino *heart emoji* (Tues 04/27/20XX, 6:44 PM):_** Yeah, Adrien's totally down for tomorrow night! Should we bring anything?

Following that was just a string of discussions of snacks, food allergies (Alya had actually remembered Marinette's allergy to kiwi, she was really thankful and it made her smile), movie ideas and so on. She lifted her eyes to Alya's, her mouth opening and ready to speak - until it finally dawned on her.

Adrien... Was coming tonight.

 _Adrien_ was _coming. Tonight_

"WAAAAAH! ALYA!" Marinette yelped. She grabbed her best friend's shoulders. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS LAST NIGHT, AT LEAST TO GIVE ME ENOUGH TIME TO MENTALLY PREPARE!"

Alya laughed and gently pushed Marinette's hands from her shoulders. "Girl, chill. It's gonna be great. And you're gonna be fine."

"Uh, hello? Do you _not_ remember how long it took me to finally be able to speak a full sentence to him?" Marinette said, holding up two fingers. "Two years! And I still fuck it up sometimes!"

"You do, but tonight is going to be perfect." Alya said. She was only slightly deterred by Marinette's swear, though knew she only did it under extreme pressure or frustration. And talking about Adrien could conjure up either of those emotions easily.

"What makes you so confident about that?" Marinette said.

"Just trust me, okay?" Alya said. "You do trust me, right?"

"Of course, but-"

"Then stop your worrying!" Alya hooked her arm back around Marinette's and started dragging her off to the school building.

Marinette sulked in Alya's hold and looked down at the ground as she was led away. Tikki subtly poked her head out from Marinette's purse and gave her holder a small smile, to which Marinette returned before gesturing for Tikki to duck back inside.

* * *

Nino and Adrien slipped into their front row seats, simultaneously setting their bags aside and leaning forward on their desks. Nino turned his attention to Adrien and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "So, did you remember the stuff for tonight?"

"Oh, yeah." Adrien said with a smile, nodding. "I grabbed a case of soda, four different bags of chips, a variety of gummies, and a few other things. But no kiwi, like Alya said."

"Sweet!" Nino pumped his fist before turning the other way and bending down to unzip his backpack. "I asked my old man if I could borrow a few of the movies we have. I've got two horror movies, a sci-fi movie, and I _think_ this one is a suspense." He face Adrien with both hands holding on to the cases of his movie selection. He tapped his fingers against the two horror movie cases. "Honestly not sure how the girls are gonna feel about these, but it's worth a shot."

"What's worth a shot?"

The boys looked up to see the girls entering the classroom with smiles on their faces, Alya's hand on her hip. She came forward and leaned over the desk to take a peek at the movies Nino clutched in his hands with a quirked eyebrow. Her lips pursed slightly and she pointed at the two horror movies. "Not quite sure that Marinette can handle these two."

"What?" Marinette hurriedly sidled up next to her to look at the movies. Her eyes skimmed over the titles and their covers, a sense of dread welling up in her stomach. She bit her lip. "Ah, well, horror movies aren't necessarily my _strong_ suit, b-but if you guys wanted to watch them, then-"

"No worries, Marinette." Adrien said. He smiled warmly when her eyes fell to him, which caused a faint shade of pink to rise in her cheeks. "We can just stick to the other two."

"Yeah. Plus, I have a bunch of movies we can choose from, too." Alya promised. "Nothing to worry about."

The group shared confident, happy looks in their thoughts of the evening as Miss Bustier entered the room and tapped on her desk lightly to get the class's attention. "Alright, class, everyone in your seats." she announced with a smile.

Marinette and Alya turned around and sunk into their chairs while Nino tucked the movies away into his backpack and leaned back with Adrien, their focus now solely on the instructor at the front of the class. Even with the lesson plan at the forefront of their minds, the excitement for the night to come buzzed excitedly in the back of them too. Especially for Marinette.

* * *

"So who's ready for the greatest night of our lives?!" Nino raised his fists to the sky and tilted his head back as he called out his words, leading the charge down the school stairs to the sidewalk.

"If by the greatest night of our lives you mean the millionth greatest night of our lives because you literally say it about everything, then yes." Alya said, grinning from ear to ear at her boyfriend. "We're ready for the greatest night of our lives."

"Hell yeah, we are!" Nino slung his arm around Alya and pulled her in for a brief kiss, with Marinette and Adrien respectably averting their eyes from them to each other. It was within the heartbeat of a second that their eyes stayed locked and the smile Adrien gave her made Marinette's heart stutter in her chest.

In four years, Adrien had grown from the boy she met to a man she knew. And while she would never admit this to anyone else but herself (and maybe Alya), she'd noticed just how much his body had filled out over the course of time that they knew each other. Most likely from the strict diets his father kept him on (and he would occasionally break when out with friends), and the exercises he kept up with to make sure he was fit for photoshoots, interviews, et cetera. In Marinette's mind, it had certainly paid off in the long run. Just ask the ever growing collection of pictures she has of him in a hidden folder on her computer that she one hundred percent used for 'research purposes.' But seriously, save for the feeling she got whenever she saw Adrien's muscles and physique showing itself off in his photos, the designs of his clothes were considerable bonuses as she truly did get a lot of inspiration from them. Rare times even granted her the pleasure of showing them to him and allowing him to take copies of her work to his father for possible future use.

"-do you think, Marinette?"

"Huh?"

Marinette blinked herself out of her reverie and found three sets of eyes on her; two curious and one all knowing with a matching smirk. Her face colored and she tried to rack her brain for any recollection of what the conversation was about. Unfortunately for her, all it could summon up were her thoughts of how much Adrien's body had changed over the years.

Stupid brain.

"Uh-um..." She murmured. "What was the question again?"

"We were thinking about grabbing an extra snack from your bakery before heading to my house." Alya said. "Would your parents be okay with that?"

"Oh, yeah! Totally!" Marinette's features brightened with a grin. "What are you planning on getting?"

"No joke, I've been dying for some more of your famous macaroons." Nino said. He patted his stomach. "I can't remember the last time I had one!"

"I have to agree. Your macaroons are the best." Adrien said.

"They're not exactly famous.." Marinette said softly, however her voice was full of appreciation for the fact that her friends loved them so much. She cleared her throat and stood a little straighter. "I'm sure there's plenty left from the batch I made yesterday. I don't think my parents would have a problem giving us the rest."

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Nino said. He turned towards Marinette's home across the street, once again leading the charge as the others followed him.

* * *

The door to Alya's apartment swung open and she entered first, carrying the bakery box containing Marinette's macaroons. "Home sweet home." She said invitingly as she stepped aside to let the others in. Nino came in first, already rifling through his bag to get the movies out, followed by Marinette, and then Adrien. Alya used her foot to close the door behind them and they entered the living room, setting their things down behind the couch so they're out of the way.

"Alright," Alya shifted the box of macaroons under her arm and held her hand out to Adrien, gesturing for him to hand her something. "Give me your bag. Nino and I will set up the snacks and you two can decide on the movies."

Adrien complied, surrendering his backpack over to Alya and turning to face Marinette afterward. "Fine by me." he said. Marinette returned the smile he gave her and nodded.

"You guys know where the movies are." Alya said and turned to head to the kitchen with Nino close behind. Marinette was almost sure she saw her best friend wink at her before turning around, knowing that this was a set up to get her to talk to Adrien alone for a bit. Sometimes she really appreciated what a wingman (wingwoman?) Alya could be.

Marinette made her way over to the stacks of movies on the shelves beside the TV and knelt down in front of them, Adrien joining her a second later and leaning forward to run his finger over the titles. Her eyes may have been on the list before her, but every other sense was on just how close Adrien was to her; close enough that she could easily pick up on his cologne without trying and feel their shoulders barely brush when he had leaned in. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. Her nails dug weakly into her thigh as she took an agonizing breathful of his cologne one more time and tried to actually show interest in discussing the movie options with him.

"How about this one?" Adrien plucked one from the stack and held it up for Marinette to see.

" _WALL-E_." Marinette read aloud. She smiled and laughed a bit. "Didn't take you for sappy robot movies."

"Hey, how they write the dystopian future of earth and disruption of human behavior is amazing." Adrien defended himself, but the playfulness in his voice inspired more laughter from Marinette. "The sappy robots are just a plus."

"Mhm, sure." Marinette said. How she naturally fell into conversation like this with him was rare, but always so relieving because she knew she wasn't making a fool out of herself while doing it. It brought ease to the thudding in her chest and her breaths (while still full of his cologne) were starting to regulate themselves quicker than they usually would. "I'm okay with that, set it aside."

Adrien grinned and did so, thus creating a separate pile of movies to consider watching. Marinette was the next to pick one out, waving it lightly in front of her. "Okay, we can't _not_ watch The Breakfast Club. It's like an unspoken tradition to watch it with friends."

"I'm afraid I have to agree." Adrien chuckled and took the movie from her hand to add to their selections. They continued on like this for a few more moments, suggesting movies and either agreeing or disagreeing with their own reasons why that they didn't argue with.

" _Into The Spider-Verse_?"

"Oh, definitely. One of the best superhero movies out there."

"Hm.. _Pitch Perfect 3_?"

"Meh, not as good at the first two. Does she have those?"

" _Ghostbusters_?"

"Which one?"

"The newer one."

"Um... Sure, why not?"

They had picked out about seven movies when Nino and Alya returned with the snacks now on trays or in bowls depending on what they were. Alya smiled to herself upon seeing the two interacting flawlessly, especially Marinette who seemed completely relaxed despite all previous fear that she would somehow mess it all up the way she used to. The smile on her friend's face and the laughter that would slip out as they discussed the movies made her happy to see Marinette happy and enjoying herself around him instead of panicking.

"You guys about done?" she asked in a way that only Marinette could pick up on her teasing tone. She smiled, noticed she'd succeeded in making the dark-haired girl flush slightly.

Marinette was thankful for Adrien answering instead as he picked up the movies and got to his feet, her following suit a few seconds later. "Yep. Seven movies plus the two from Nino."

"I don't think we'll be able to watch that many movies, dude." Nino said skeptically.

Adrien shrugged. "We don't have to. All we need really are options."

"True." Nino pointed to him, nodding in agreement.

Alya took the movies from Adrien, placing the two Nino brought with him on top, and switched places with Adrien and Marinette by the TV as she shuffled through them for a good starter movie. Nino, Adrien, and Marinette settled on the couch and she held one up for them.

"Okay, this one is Nino's." she said. " _iRobot_. I've seen this one before, it's pretty good."

"Yeah, we can start with that." Marinette said. She, herself, had only seen the movie once or twice but she couldn't deny that she liked it.

"Awesome." Alya set the other movies down and turned the TV on, taking the disk from the case and slipping it into the DVD player on the shelf under the TV. She returned to the couch, grabbing the remote on the table as she went, and settled beside Nino who instinctively placed his arm around her shoulders as she hit play on the movie menu.

* * *

They were about four movies in and halfway through the snacks into the evening by the time Marinette had noticed it'd gotten pretty dark outside. As she'd suspected earlier, her and Adrien were really the only two left paying attention to the movie (they were on _WALL-E_ by that point) while Alya and Nino were not so subtly flirting it up with each other on the other couch sneaking kisses and murmuring to each other. It wasn't uncomfortable for Marinette and Adrien, _per se_ , and they even shared a lighthearted chuckle about it when they looked at them and then each other. Still, it left both of them yearning for the objects of their hearts wishing that they could do the same with them.

When _WALL-E_ came to finish, Marinette stood from the couch which caught Alya's attention and then Nino's.

"Time to go?" she asked.

Marinette smiled sadly with a nod and reached behind the couch for her backpack. "Yeah. I promised mom and dad I'd be home around dinner, remember? I'm late." She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked to all of her friends. "See you guys tomorrow?"

"Yep." Alya said and Nino nodded.

"You got it." Adrien said. Marinette's smile lingered towards him the longest.

"Great. Goodnight, guys." Marinette waved and made her way to the door, exiting out into the hall with a soft sigh and a much more happy smile. She felt her purse shift a little at her hip and stepped away from the door, heading for the stairs as she popped it open and peered down at her kwami staring back at her.

"I'm so proud of you, Marinette!" Tikki said, which only made Marinette's smile grow.

"Honestly, I'm kinda proud of myself too." she said. "I think that's the calmest I've been around him in a while. But maybe that's because Nino and Alya were there."

"Maybe so, but you were alone with him while picking the movies." Tikki pointed out.

Marinette laughed a bit and nodded once. "You got me there."

* * *

Not too much longer after Marinette left, Adrien decided it was his turn to head out as well. He'd gathered up his things and bid his friends a farewell before slipping out the door. One good thing about when he turned eighteen is that his father was a bit more trustworthy with him going out with friends and being out later without his bodyguard (however, Adrien was fully aware that he still sometimes sent his bodyguard out to spy on him just to make sure he was okay), so long as he at least checked in with either him or Natalie to prove that he was safe and where he promised he'd be.

And it was with this granted freedom that he would take time out of his day for extra patrols around the city before heading home for the night. This time, though, he had a different kind of patrol on his mind. Stepping outside of Alya's apartment building, Adrien glanced both ways up the street to make sure no one (especially his bodyguard) were around to see or hear him then opened up his shirt to allow Plagg to ease out of the inside pocket.

"Shame movie night is over." the kwami whined. "I was looking forward to more yummy snacks." He rubbed his stomach and licked his lips, recalling how Adrien was sneakily passing him snacks for him to enjoy once the lamps were turned off and attention was off him.

"Always thinking with you're stomach." Adrien teased, shaking his head. "Come on, bud. Time to power up."

"What for? It's not time for your patrol yet." Plagg asked.

"Marinette is walking home alone and she lives quite a ways from here. I want to make sure she gets back safely." Adrien said.

Over the years, his superhero alter-ego had become good friends with Marinette (ironically, not much later after the 'boyfriend' incident all those years ago) and he liked to stop by and see her on nights Ladybug wasn't available to patrol with him. It gave him something to do and he liked how Marinette always had a snack prepared for him to enjoy while he was out and about on the town. The girl had a heart of gold and he made a silent promise to watch out for her when he could. Especially as Chat Noir.

Plagg groaned but didn't argue, which made Adrien grin as he held up his fist. "Plagg, claws out!"

The kwami was sucked into the ring and there was a quick flash of green light as the transformation took place, encompassing Adrien's body in the black material of his suit along with his mask, ears, and belt-fashioned tail. He grinned at his now fully transformed self and took a leap up to the lamp post, swinging off of it into the direction that Marinette might've gone in to land on the next post. He continued to swing about freely, eventually switching to a better suited vantage point from the rooftops. His footfalls were near silent as he ran and leapt across them and only came to a stop when he saw movement on a sidewalk below. He crouched down and leaned towards the edge, his tail swishing as he smiled. There was Marinette. He poised and readied himself to jump down, aiming for the car a few feet behind Marinette. He pushed away from the edge into an effortless free fall with a perfect land on his feet on the hood of the car, making so little noise that Marinette didn't even turn around.

He slid off the car and fell in step behind Marinette, playfully mimicking her walk with a grin to himself. This went on for an amusing few moments before Marinette came to a stop. So did he.

"If you're trying to play sneaky, you'll have to try harder than that."

Chat's mouth dropped open and Marinette turned on her heel with a rather pleased and obviously teasing smirk on her face.

"How'd you know I was here?" he asked.

Marinette answered with a silent thumb jab towards the building beside them, to which it came to Chat's attention that at the angle he was standing he was casting a shadow along it from the street lights. One long enough to be seen in anyone's peripheral vision. He glanced back at the light, then at Marinette, and his shoulders sulked in defeat as she giggled and stepped towards him.

"Just out for late night stroll, I suppose?" Marinette asked him.

"I was." Chat answered. He corrected his posture with a smile and, when Marinette turned to walk again, sidled up beside her. "Then I saw what I originally perceived as a damsel in distress."

"A damsel in distress?" Marinette laughed some more and he thought that sound was the sweetest thing ever. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Well, you're out late on your own. That's distressing enough as it is, is it not?"

"I'm a big girl, chaton. I can handle myself." Marinette said, though her voice wasn't full of hurt, anger, or offense. The complete opposite, really. She knew Chat Noir was simply being a gentleman and being his typical, playful self. And his presence was nice while walking home alone. She hummed thoughtfully and glanced towards him. "No Ladybug tonight?"

"Nope, she took the night off for something." Chat explained. His eyes were down on the sidewalk as he pretended to balance on the lines between the squares, a sort of wistful look on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Marinette. It disappeared with a nonchalant shrug and his smile was back when he picked his head up. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I was over at a friend's house. We were binging movies." Marinette explained.

"Yeah? What movies? Good movies or bad movies you just put on to make fun of?"

"Good ones. We watched _Into the Spider-Verse_ , _WALL-E_ , _iRobot_ , and a few others."

Chat stopped and placed a hand over his heart, feigning a wounded expression. "And you couldn't so much as extend and invitation to me? Me- _ow_ , Mari."

A giggle escaped Marinette's lips. "Oh, drop the act kitty cat." She teased.

It was funny how she could interact with Chat Noir this way and not Adrien. They were both guys, after all. Maybe it was mostly because she was in love with one and... well, as her civilian self, she liked to consider herself good friends with Chat. And as Ladybug, he was her partner in crime. Someone she trusted entirely with her life if it came down to it. Never once had he let her down despite the many times she did inadvertently by not returning his feelings. It did weigh on her a little that she couldn't love Chat the way he loved her, but she loved him nonetheless and she believed he knew that. They were still strong together and always had each other's back no matter what. That's what really counted in the end. And regardless of the mask she wore Marinette had a soft spot for the feline hero. Under the puns and occasional flirting, he was still a sweet guy. She wouldn't deny him that much.

"Sorry, guess I'm fe-line a little playful tonight." Chat said. His lips quirked with a suppressed smile.

"You're impossible." Marinette shoved his shoulder lightly and continued on her way, hearing his footsteps pick up behind her as he caught up.

"I disagree. I think I'm very paws-ible." He said.

Marinette groaned, dropping her head, and Chat's face broke out in a grin. This was something he loved about being Chat Noir. He could be someone else entirely, let go a little, and not have to worry about who thought what of him because they didn't _know_ him under the mask. The gift of anonymity was a beautiful thing in his mind. Not to mention that he got enough attention as it was as his normal self. Yes, he got attention as Chat Noir, too, but that was different. The people of Paris loved Chat Noir because he protected the city and those that lived in it. People loved Adrien because he was attractive. That's mostly what it amounted to. He had a reason to appreciate this identity and wear it with pride. He didn't need the glory, the fame, any of it. He didn't really want it either. But if dealing with it meant his home was safe, he would take it in stride.

And that's another reason why Marinette stood out from everyone else. While it pained him a little that he couldn't reveal himself to her, he did appreciate (and somewhat adore) the fact that she didn't treat him like a celebrity in either of his forms. She was a friend to both and it eased him in a sense that at least he had one - no, _two_ , if he counted Ladybug - true friends as his alter-ego self. Maybe he would count Carapace and Rena more if he saw them more often.

"This is me." Marinette announced when her feet met the welcome mat of the bakery, looking to Chat with a smile that told him she was a bit sad they had to part here. "Thank you for escorting me home, Chat."

"All in a day's work. Or should I say night's?" Chat bowed before her which earned him a laugh and a scratch behind the ear, making him purr a little. He straightened up and smiled at her.

"If you wait here for a moment, I can give you the macaroons I made for you." Marinette said.

"I can always spare a second for your macaroons."

Chat caught the flush that dusted Marinette's cheeks in the glow from the moon and lamp post alike before she unlocked the door and ducked inside the bakery quietly. Most likely as to not alert her parents. He waited patiently for a few minutes with a few glances around out of habit to check the perimeter. Marinette returned with a small box specifically decorated for him; black with a green paw on the lid and tied up neatly in a green ribbon. She handed it over and he took it gratefully, their eyes meeting.

"Goodnight, Chat."

"Goodnight, Mari."

Clutching the box carefully in his hand, Chat reached for his baton at his back and clicked it once to extend, lifting himself straight off the ground but his eyes didn't leave from Marinette until he saw her disappear into the building and the door was obstructed by the roof when he stepped onto it. He looked down at the box and, with a soft sigh, made himself comfortable on the railing at the edge of the roof. He untied the ribbon to the box and leaned back, picking up a macaroon and taking a bite as he overlooked the city with a small smile.

In the morning Marinette would find the box considerably placed on the table, empty and ready to be filled again for next time.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I really liked the idea of Marinette and Chat Noir having a friendship thing going, with him visiting her and stuff like that when he can. I hope it doesn't feel odd? I tried to write it as natural and true to the characters as I could.**

 **Stick around for chapter 3?**


	3. Important Notice From Author

_**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**_ _Minor edits have been made to both chapter 1 and 2. Keep in mind that as I try to maintain continuity and prevent plot holes, these changes might not be permanent and adjustments might be made to future chapters. Some chapters may be reverted or changed again. While I understand this might annoy people, this is to make sure that my story makes as much sense as possible and keeps the interest of my readers without making them question whatever they're reading or what doesn't make sense because something different was said beforehand._ _  
_

 _So I apologize if you will find this irritating, but this is how I'm choosing to write my story._


	4. Important Notice From Author-Explanation

**First thing's first, this story HAS NOT been abandoned. I have recently started a new job and the training hours have been awful, which affect my ability and time to write. Chapter three has been started and I made more edits to both chapters 1 and 2. A major edit for plot and minor edits for the sake of dialogue.**

 **Another point I feel like I need to make before I post any more chapters for this story is that this story had been started BEFORE the [official] release of Troublemaker and every episode that followed after. Of course I'd been watching the episodes as they were leaked on YouTube (and translated if they weren't in English), so I can say that I consider some of them still canon in my story's universe albeit possibly different ways since I saw them before I continued writing. But seeing as I had already had a decently clear path on where I wanted to take this story, where I wanted it to go, the releases of those episodes still had a huge effect on what was canon to the true Miraculous Ladybug universe and my omegaverse universe. ESPECIALLY, Style Queen/Queen Wasp and the Heroes' Day episodes. With the addition of Nino and Chloe "receiving" their miraculouses, I realized I had to think about what I had to/what I wanted to change about my story if I wanted to make those episodes canon to my omegaverse. And THAT set of a chain of thoughts of what episodes would be canon period to my story as a whole, which put my writing on hold as I tried to figure things out. I'd already anticipated including Alya/Rena Rouge [once I figured out how] since Sapotis came out before the development of my story, but the releases of the episodes following Troublemaker brought on challenging changes and considerations for the continuation of this story.**

 **Despite the trouble they put me through, I'd decided to go ahead and consider Style Queen/Queen Wasp and Heroes' Day canon to my story and include Carapace and Queen Bee in my story. As of right now, the only episode I _don't_ consider canon to my story is Oblivio, since it would have a massive affect on how I write Ladybug and Chat Noir's interactions and the universe as a whole. The recent episodes (Onichan and Bakerix) are still under consideration, as well as the character Kagami. As much as I would love to write out Lila/make her non-canon to my story simply because I hate her so much, that would change too much that I want to keep canon from the original universe. But that's even if I decide to write her in at some point anyway. As of right now, I have no intentions of including her (though I might make references to her/the events that involved her). I don't care for Kagami much either, I'd completely forgotten about her existence when writing/planning for the story. But we'll see as the story goes on.**

 **All of that being said, I'm going to write as much as I can while I'm off of work for the next three days and see where I get as far as posting it.**

 **Thanks for understanding and sticking around. *heart***


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